Authorities in Fort Collins, Colorado are now treating the “Balloon Boy” event as a hoax, though neither of the two parents have been arrested at this time.
Apparently little Falcon — who was the center figure of the nation’s imaginations last week when it was feared he was stuck in the balloon — made a comment during a CNN interview that the whole thing was “for a show”. There has also been independent confirmation that father Richard Heene had told a man named Robert Thomas of his plans to perpetuate this hoax in the name of drumming up interest in a proposed reality tv show Heene had been planning about UFOs.
Now that it’s under way, an angry America is looking for justice. Thousands of dollars were spent in the pursuit of the balloon, and the worry of the country was spent in futility. What effect will this event have on Falcon and his family?
It seems incredible that the Heenes thought this would be a good idea. Even if it had worked, there is a strong likelihood that they would have earned the enmity of the nation at best, and possibly faced Child Protective Services scrutiny at worst. As far as how this is all playing out, it’s a double-edged sword: the Heenes have shown their children their willingness to lie and commit fraud, which is a horrible example for them to commit; at the same time, they’ve been caught at it and will now face the music. This, too, is a lesson. Worst of all, however, it’s likely that this will break up the family, and there’s no returning from that. In their quest for fame and fortune, the Heenes have thrown away the most important thing they might have had: familial trust. Let’s all hope for a speedy resolution to this case — dragging it out will just exacerbate the already negatively charged atmosphere.
